What Cart. for a Infinity Black widow

Must...resist..temptation...to reply...cannot...Sean, while you are a fountain of information concerning MMs, and I really appreciate all your knowledge here and would like to hear more, as I am now convinced that MMs are simply better than MCs at the all-important timing issues (the heart of the music), what you apply to the Stantons - careful set-up and so on - applies equally well to the Shures. You say simply that the Shure V15 is universal and so on, but this simply isn't true: while it does mate well with todays' almost universal medium-mass tonearms (we - must - standardize - wash - out - all - colour), it absolutely shines on medium-mass unipivots! This was my first intimation of the Shure's Greatness, when in my ignorance one day I decided to match it up with a Mayware I had set up out of curiosity on an Audiomeca 'table. As the Grados open up on low-mass tonearms, so the Shures open up on medium-mass unipivots! But I also believe that Shures sound truly great on Regas as well, depending on the 'table.

Unfortunately, it's not just a case of getting a great 'table and then putting a great tonearm on it: everyone should get a Decca for the thrill as well as the education! While my Decca so far works best on a Mayware on an AR-XA I've modified, the same Mayware-Decca combination absolutely will not work on a high-mass idler-wheel I built (and there are no vibration problems, I traditionally use low-output MCs on this rig). Which means that the whole thing - weep for us audio hobbyists! - tonearm, cartridge and 'Table, works together as a system, so that the Decca in a unipivot prefers low-mass 'sprung 'tables, in which it outshines all, but otherwise...pffffttt. I would suggest that your experience of the Shure is partly due to your not taking due diligence in setting it/them up, and partly out of one of the aforementioned variables. Every cartridge has a secret combination, a website like this is an opportunity to find out what those combinations are. Thanks for all the info. By the way, the sirens have been calling me to an Empire P10 (or soemthing like that) selling for $140, would you know anything about it? Any info would be much appreciated.

John: I'm running linear tracking arms over here. Pivoted arms are for those that like archaic technology : )

I know nothing about Empire cartridges other than what i heard back in the late 70's / early 80's out of them. They weren't worth owning from what i can recall. Sean
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Sadness, I was hoping it would be something special. Thanks, Sean, and by the way, I have an air-bearing also, which of course shines at the imaging thing. And Bro57, there's a very good, very detailed MM on sale here on Audiogon (for somewhere around $70), an Acutex 320LPM fitted with the legendary Shibata stylus: I owned this one - having gotten it NOS for about the same price a while ago - and it sounds beautiful, great bass and absolutely great-sounding with strings. If you'd like to see what an MM can do, then here's your chance to do so on the cheap while you figure things out.

I installed the Rega Elys cart. and set it up no distortion on inner tracks and sound is wonderful. I will give a full report in a few days to let you know. Thanks for everyones help.

Bro57, Good Choice: MM! I'll have to give the Rega cartridges a whirl too, some day. Looking forward to your impressions of the Black Widow as well!